Let’s talk design

My latest client is an engineering firm from our nation’s capital that is jockeying for a government contract.
It’s really interesting work.
Lots of graphics and the hold project could be a designers nightmare. Engineers are not always known for their social interpersonal skills. Believe me, I live with one and a basic conversation is daily struggle.
But honestly, these people are among my favorite clients ever.
Never met them in person, but I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with.
And on top of everything…they are a female owned company. And unlike some of the other female run companies I’ve done work for, she appears to actually be involved and therefore more then just a prop for a certification.
Love it!

Scope of work
The graphics are very straight forward (read: not a lot of fancy fonts or art). And that is something I miss.
The basics. Not boring. Just simple, easy to read graphics.
Sometimes people want fancy for fancy sake. As a trained newspaper designer, this was not part of my training.Art Fancy for fancy sake is not a necessity.
You use art and graphics to enhance your story.
Sometimes the words need to shine and I submit to you that a well-crafted and beautifully written paragraph is sometimes better then a 1000 photos.
And pair that paragraph with an excellently written and clean graphic…you can’t go wrong.
Especially when you are talking about an abstract theory.

Know your audience
Just like with writing, knowing your audience is paramount in making art/graphic decisions.
Never underestimate your audience and as a general rule: what they are used to seeing is what they want to see.
That’s not to say that you only give your audience what they want: you give them what they need, in the format that they will be most amiable to.
And this is something that only a trained graphic designer can give you. And only a designer without an ego and who is willing to concede that the whole project isn’t about the “look” can really help you reach your goal.
That’s not to say that there aren’t projects that aren’t all about making something pretty.
Those are fun too!
It just requires a different mindset.

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